Justice & Safety Alliance

09/14/2026

Join Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and many others in asking Governor Lee for mercy for Christa Pike.

Christa Pike is the only woman on Tennessee’s death row for a crime committed when she was an 18-year-old girl with severe trauma and untreated mental illness. She is a victim of child sexual abuse, multiple r**es that began when she was a toddler, and parental abandonment and neglect.

If her ex*****on proceeds, Christa Pike will be the first woman put to death in the State of Tennessee in more than 200 years.

Her case represents so many of the problems with Tennessee’s death penalty. To learn more visit www.MercyforChrista.org

📢 TAKE ACTION: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/mercy-for-christa-stop-the-ex*****on-of-christa-pike-in-tennessee

09/09/2026

Memphis is being held up as a potential national model for public safety through the federal Model Cities Initiative. But what kind of model do we want to offer the country?

In a new op-ed, longtime victim advocate Cynthia Pulliam shares what she has learned in the nearly six years since her son was murdered: justice matters, but families shouldn’t have to wait for justice before they can begin to heal.

Ms. Pulliam is helping lead the effort to bring a Trauma Recovery Center to Memphis, one of the community-based solutions that reflects JSA’s broader vision of public safety rooted in prevention, healing, opportunity, and accountability.

If Memphis is going to be a model for public safety, let’s model what it looks like to invest in survivors, healing, and stronger communities.

Read the full op-ed here: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/opinion/contributors/2026/09/09/why-we-need-a-trauma-recovery-center-in-memphis/91670490007/

08/06/2026

On Saturday, August 1st, Just City — along with Memphis For All, the Justice & Safety Alliance, and MICAH — held a community vigil for the 68 people who have died inside the Shelby County Jail since 2018. More than 100 people attended and walked in silence to the jail to honor their loved ones.

This group of human beings spent a collective 12,517 days at 201 Poplar. That’s roughly 34 combined years of human life locked behind concrete walls — approximately 34 Christmases, 34 birthdays, 34 Mother’s Days, and 34 Father’s Days spent waiting for a day in court that, for far too many, never came. Nearly all were awaiting trial and presumed innocent — more than 90% Black, nearly half in their thirties, more than a third living with a mental health condition.

Whatever brought them there, they still deserved to be alive.

We’ve launched MAKETHEMKNOWN.ORG, a community memorial for the people who died waiting for a day in court that never came. We honor them by standing up for freedom, life, and reason.

Make them known. Make it stop. End jail deaths.

“Just City’s ‘Make Them Known’ Vigil provided a much needed salve for the wound of grief our community is experiencing due to the needless and senseless loss of innocent life at 201 Poplar. Careless politicians and incompetence costs these 68 families dearly and it is wrong. I refuse to choose apathy or be silently complicit.” - Justin J. Pearson

08/06/2026

Tonight we gather to remember the lives lost inside of the Shelby County Jail. Every single person on this list mattered.

Please come to honor these human beings and their families.

Make them known. Make it stop. End jail deaths.

Link to RSVP here https://bit.ly/4eYiDQo

07/23/2026

Darrell Hines is the next person scheduled to be executed on August 13 - take action and urge Gov. Lee to grant him a reprieve!

Act Now: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/please-grant-reprieve-to-darrell-hines/

07/22/2026

Three surveillance videos have now been released around the killing of Darrin Pigram, but transparency shouldn’t depend on whether a nearby security camera happened to capture part of an incident.

From the local to federal levels, every law enforcement agent should wear body cams as a basic measure of transparency and accountability.

And every use of deadly force - including Darrin Pigram’s case - should get a thorough investigation.

Read more:
https://tennesseelookout.com/2026/07/21/da-declines-to-prosecute-fatal-burger-king-shooting-by-memphis-safe-task-force/

07/22/2026

TWO WEEKS
Make Them Known: Remembering The Lives Lost In The Shelby County Jail.

Please share. And please come.

Since 2018, 68 people have died inside the Shelby County Jail. Their lives mattered.

Every person here was someone’s whole world, and many of their families are still searching for answers.

📅 Saturday, August 1st, 2026
🕕 6:30 PM
📍 First United Methodist Church (204 N Second St., Downtown Memphis)

Hosted by Just City, MICAH, Memphis For All, and the Justice and Safety Alliance. Water and light snacks provided. No charge. No expectation other than your presence.

If you know families affected by deaths at Shelby County Jail, please share this with them. We want every family to know they are welcome and held by the community.

🔗 RSVP here https://bit.ly/4eYiDQo

07/22/2026

Three surveillance videos have now been released around the killing of Darrin Pigram, but transparency shouldn't depend on whether a nearby security camera happened to capture part of an incident.

From the local to federal levels, every law enforcement agent should wear body cams as a basic measure of transparency and accountability.

And every use of deadly force - including Darrin Pigram's case - should get a thorough investigation.

The Shelby County District Attorney will not file charges in the fatal shooting of Darren Pigram by a DEA agent with the Memphis Safe Task.

07/16/2026

The injunction is only temporary, but this win speaks to the true power our voices carry when we show up in numbers.

“All children, regardless of where they were born, the color of their skin, or how much money their parents make, deserve to live, to breathe, and the get the lifesaving care they need.”

07/06/2026

📣 The first edition of the JSA Brief is here! 📣

This year marks five years of the Justice & Safety Alliance. Since 2021, our coalition has worked to change the narrative on public safety, support youth justice, reform our justice system, and promote community-centered solutions across Memphis and Shelby County.

In this kickoff issue, you'll find:
➡️ The Justice & Safety Sheriff Platform
➡️ Updates from across the coalition
➡️ Issues we're watching in Memphis and beyond
➡️ A partner spotlight on TADP
➡️ Upcoming opportunities to get involved

Whether you've been part of JSA from the beginning or are just getting connected, we hope you'll take a few minutes to read, share, and sign on!

Read the full JSA Brief here: https://justiceandsafetyalliance.org/the-jsa-brief-five-years-strong/